Agricultural tillage implement wheel control

ABSTRACT

An agricultural tillage implement includes a main section including a hitch extending in a travel direction, a plurality of foldable wing sections coupled with the main section, a plurality of ground engaging tilling elements, a plurality of wheel assemblies and a control system. The tilling elements are coupled to the main section and wing sections. Each of the wheel assemblies include an actuator. The wheel assemblies include a first plurality of wheel assemblies associated with the main section and a second plurality of wheel assemblies associated with the plurality of wing sections. The actuators of the first plurality of wheel assemblies being independent of the actuators of the second plurality of wheel assemblies. The control system is configured to actuate the actuators to effect a profile minimizing operation of the foldable wing sections when the implement is being transitioned into a transport mode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional divisional application based upon U.S.non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/532,563, entitled“AGRICULTURAL TILLAGE IMPLEMENT WHEEL CONTROL”, filed Nov. 4, 2014,which is based upon U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.61/903,492, entitled “AGRICULTURAL TILLAGE IMPLEMENT WHEEL CONTROL”,filed Nov. 13, 2013, both of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to agricultural implements, and, moreparticularly, to agricultural tillage implements.

2. Description of the Related Art

Farmers utilize a wide variety of tillage implements to prepare soil forplanting. Some such implements include two or more sections coupledtogether to perform multiple functions as they are pulled through fieldsby a tractor. For example, a field cultivator is capable ofsimultaneously tilling soil and leveling the tilled soil in preparationfor planting. A field cultivator has a frame that carries a number ofcultivator shanks with shovels at their lower ends for tilling the soil.The field cultivator converts compacted soil into a level seedbed with aconsistent depth for providing excellent conditions for planting of acrop. Grass or residual crop material disposed on top of the soil isalso worked into the seedbed so that it does not interfere with aseeding implement subsequently passing through the seedbed.

Tillage equipment prepares the soil by way of mechanical agitation ofvarious types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples ofwhich include ploughing (overturning with moldboards or chiseling withchisel shanks), rototilling, rolling with cultipackers or other rollers,harrowing, and cultivating with cultivator shanks.

Tillage is often classified into two types, primary and secondary. Thereis no strict definition of these two types, perhaps a loose distinctionbetween the two is that tillage that is deeper and more thorough isthought of as primary, and tillage that is shallower is thought of assecondary. Primary tillage such as plowing produces a larger subsurfacedifference and tends to produce a rough surface finish, whereassecondary tillage tends to produce a smoother surface finish, such asthat required to make a good seedbed for many crops. Harrowing andrototilling often combine primary and secondary tillage into oneoperation.

Wheels are often integral with tillage implements and are used for bothtransportation of the implement, and for depth control of the tillageelements. The prior art includes control systems that raise and lowerthe wheel assemblies as an entire unit, which can result in interferencewith components of foldable wing sections as the wing sections arefolded.

What is needed in the art is an easy to use mechanism that preventsinterference from occurring between implement sections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a tillage implement that has severaltilling sections with the ability to independently control the wheelextensions of the various sections as the sections are being folded.

The invention in one form is directed to an agricultural tillageimplement that includes a main section having a hitch extending in atravel direction, a plurality of foldable wing sections coupled with themain section, a plurality of ground engaging tilling elements, aplurality of wheel assemblies and a control system. The tilling elementsare coupled to the main section and wing sections. Each of the wheelassemblies include an actuator. The wheel assemblies include a firstplurality of wheel assemblies associated with the main section and asecond plurality of wheel assemblies associated with the plurality ofwing sections. The actuators of the first plurality of wheel assembliesbeing independent of the actuators of the second plurality of wheelassemblies. The control system is configured to actuate the actuators toeffect a profile minimizing operation of the foldable wing sections whenthe implement is being transitioned into a transport mode.

The invention in another form is directed to a control system of anagricultural tillage implement. The implement has a main sectionincluding a pull hitch extending in a travel direction, a plurality offoldable wing sections coupled with the main section and a plurality ofwheel assemblies, each of the sections having at least one tillingelement that is engageable with the ground. The control system includesa controller and a plurality of actuators. At least one actuator isassociated with each of the wheel assemblies. The plurality of wheelassemblies include a first plurality of wheel assemblies associated withthe main section and a second plurality of wheel assemblies associatedwith the plurality of wing sections. The actuators of the firstplurality of wheel assemblies are controlled independently of theactuators of the second plurality of wheel assemblies by the controller.The controller is configured to actuate the actuators to effect aprofile minimizing operation of the foldable wing sections when theimplement is being transitioned into a transport mode.

The invention in yet another form is directed to a method of controllingprofile heights of a plurality of sections of tilling assemblies of anagricultural implement. The method includes the step of independentlyactuating a plurality of actuators to effect a profile minimizingoperation of the foldable wing sections when the implement is beingtransitioned into a transport mode.

An advantage of the present invention is that the implement has adecreased profile in the transport mode.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the control systemprecludes a manual extension of the wheel assemblies of a folded wingsection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of an agriculturaltillage implement of the present invention, in the form of a fieldcultivator, in an unfolded position;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the field cultivator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the field cultivator shown in FIGS.1-2, with the outer wing sections folded to a transport position;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the field cultivator shown in FIG. 3, with theouter wing sections folded to the transport position;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the field cultivator shown in FIGS.1-4, with the middle wing sections folded to a transport position;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the field cultivator shown in FIG. 5, with themiddle wing sections folded to the transport position;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the field cultivator shown in FIGS.1-6, with the inner wing sections folded to a transport position;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the field cultivator shown in FIG. 7, with theinner wing sections folded to the transport position;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of part of the main frame section of thefield cultivator of FIGS. 1-8; and

FIG. 10 is a side view of the field cultivator of FIGS. 1-9, with aprimary focus on a wing section.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. The exemplification set out hereinillustrates embodiment of the invention, in one form, and suchexemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of theinvention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown an embodiment of a tillage implement of the present invention. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the tillage implement is in the form of afield cultivator 10 for tilling and finishing soil prior to seeding.

Field cultivator 10 is configured as a multi-section field cultivator,and includes a center frame section 12, also referred herein as a mainsection 12, and a plurality of wing sections 14, 16 and 18. In theillustrated embodiment, field cultivator 10 has a triple-foldconfiguration with three left wings sections designated 14A, 16A and18A, and three right wing sections designated 14B, 16B and 18B. Wingsections 14A and 14B are each inner wing sections, wing sections 16A and16B are each middle wing sections, and wing sections 18A and 18B areeach outer wing sections.

Center frame section 12 is the center section that is directly towed bya traction unit, such as an agricultural tractor (not shown). Centerframe section 12 generally functions to carry a shank frame 20 fortilling the soil, and a rear auxiliary implement 22 for finishing thesoil. A pull hitch 24 extends forward from shank frame 20, and iscoupled with the traction unit in known manner.

Rear auxiliary implement 22 includes a spring tooth drag 26 and arolling (aka, crumbler) basket 28 which coact with each other to finishthe soil. However, rear auxiliary implement 22 can be differentlyconfigured, such as a spike tooth drag, cultivator shanks, etc.

Shank frame 20 generally functions to carry cultivator shanks 30 withshovels 32 at their lower ends for tilling the soil. Rear lift wheels 34are used for raising and lowering the shank frame 20 with a hydrauliclift cylinder (not specifically visible in FIGS. 1 and 2), and a pair offront gauge wheels 36 are used to level the shank frame 20 during afield operation.

Similarly, each inner wing section 14A and 14B, middle wing section 16Aand 16B, and outer wing section 18A and 18B includes a shank frame 20for tilling the soil, a rear auxiliary implement 22 for finishing thesoil, rear lift wheels 34 and front gauge wheels 36. These componentsare slightly different from but still similar to the like-namedcomponents described above with regard to center frame section 12, andare not described in further detail herein.

During use, it is periodically necessary to move the field cultivator 10from an unfolded (operating) position to a folded (transport) position.First, each outer wing section 18A and 18B is folded laterally inwardand over a respective middle wing section 16A and 16B (FIGS. 3 and 4).With the outer wing sections 18A and 18B in the folded state, eachmiddle wing section 16A and 16B is then folded laterally inward and overa respective inner wing section 14A and 14B (FIGS. 5 and 6). With themiddle wing sections 16A and 16B in the folded state, each middle wingsection 16A and 16B is then folded laterally inward and over the centerframe section 12 (FIGS. 7 and 8). To unfold the field cultivator 10 andtransform back to the field or operating position shown in FIGS. 1 and2, the folding sequence described above is simply reversed.

The outer wing sections 18, middle wing sections 16 and inner wingsections 14 are stacked together in a vertically arranged stack over thecenter frame section 12 when in the folded state. To allow this type ofnested stacking configuration, each of the wing sections 14, 16 and 18have a pivot axis 38, 40 and 42, respectively, which is verticallyoffset to allow the wing sections to lie flat against the laterallyinward shank frame 20/frame section 12 when in the folded state. Themiddle wing sections 16 have a pivot axis 40 that is vertically higherthan pivot axes 38 and 42 of adjacent wing sections 14 and 18, when inthe unfolded state.

Different countries and states have different regulatory highwayrequirements concerning oversized vehicles on the road. In the US, somestates exempt agricultural equipment from such regulations, while othersrequire that any type of vehicle on a road must comply with theoversized vehicle regulations. In Europe, the regulations may be morestrict concerning the height and width of vehicles which may travel on aroad without being accompanied by an escort vehicle. With thetriple-fold field cultivator 10 of the present invention, the overallfrontal profile dimensions when in the folded state fit withinregulatory requirements for both the US and Europe. More particularly,with all of the wing sections 14, 16 and 18 in the folded state, thefield cultivator 10 is then in a transport position with an overallfrontal profile having dimensions with a maximum width “W” of no greaterthan approximately 20 feet, preferably approximately 18 feet wide, and aheight “H” of no greater than approximately 14 feet, preferablyapproximately 13 feet, 6 inches high (FIG. 8).

These maximum frontal profile dimensions include all of the shank frames20, shanks 30, rear lift wheels 34 and front gauge wheels 36, when inthe folded state. The rear auxiliary implements 22 are considered to beadd-ons to the main field cultivator 10, and may be outside theseoverall frontal profile dimensions, at least if not folded upwardly forthe transport position. However, it is the intention that all of fieldcultivator 10, including the rear auxiliary implements 22, be withinthese maximum frontal profile dimensions when in the transport position.

Now, additionally referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 there is shown furtherdetails of implement 10. Main section 12 is shown in FIG. 9 with wheelassemblies 50 having actuators 54, which provide depth level control formain section 12 when implement 10 is in field mode and support for thefolded implement 10 while in transport mode.

A typical wheel assembly 52 is shown for one of the wing sections 14, 16and 18 in FIG. 10. Wheel assemblies 52 include actuators 56, a linkagesystem 60 and an adjustable link 62. A controller 58 (shown abstractlyin the figures) orchestrates the movement of wheel assemblies 50 and 52in field and transport modes and during the transition to/from the fieldand transport modes.

Wheel assemblies 50 are shown having actuator 54 coupled more directlyto the rear wheels and a linkage system is used to move the wheels thatare to the fore of the rear wheels. Wheel assemblies 52 have actuator 56positioned between the rear and fore wheels with linkage system 60coupling both the rear and fore wheels for coordinated movement.Adjustable link 62 allows for an independent manual fore/aft levelingadjustment of each section.

Actuators 54 and 56, are under the independent and individual control ofcontroller 58 so that sections 12-18 can each be individually adjustedfor depth control of shovels 32 (which are tillage elements) of eachsection in a manner substantially independent of the other sectionswhile in the field mode of operation. As implement 10 is transitionedfrom the field mode to the transport mode and the sections are beingfolded together, controller 58 causes wheel assemblies 52 to go from thefully extended position, as shown in FIG. 10 with actuator 56 fullyextended, to being partially retracted as seen in the folded wingsections of FIG. 6. This effectively lowers the profile of each wingsection 14-18 as the particular wing section is folded. While controller58 may be a set of valves manually controlled by an operator, it iscontemplated that controller 58 would be an electronic control systemthat controls the sequence of lowering the profile of each wing section,as it is being folded by the actuators used for the purpose of foldingwing sections 14-18.

Controller 58 is programmed to prevent the wheels of the folded sectionsfrom being extended by the use of manual controls (not shown), whichwould cause interference with adjacent sections. This preclusion of theuse of manual controls prevents damage that could otherwise occur. Tothe extent that interference or damage can occur by the improperpositioning of the wheel assemblies during the folding process, beforethe section is fully folded, controller 58 likewise prevents the manualcontrols from overriding the process undertaken by controller 58.

The present invention advantageously orchestrates the lowering of theprofile of each folding wing section in order to lower the overallprofile of implement 10 is in the transport mode. The present inventionuses a control system to choreograph the transition from the field modeto the transport mode, as the height profile of each section of wingsections 14-18 is controlled, as the sections are folded for transportand when the process is reversed as implement 10 transitions from thetransport mode to the field mode.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least oneembodiment, the present invention can be further modified within thespirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is thereforeintended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the inventionusing its general principles. Further, this application is intended tocover such departures from the present disclosure as come within knownor customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains andwhich fall within the limits of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling profile heights of aplurality of sections of tilling assemblies of an agriculturalimplement, the method comprising the steps of: providing theagricultural implement, the agricultural implement including a maincenter section including a pull hitch extending in a travel direction; aplurality of foldable wing sections coupled with the main centersection, wherein the plurality of foldable wing sections includes aplurality of foldable wing sections on each side of the main centersection, including an outer wing section furthest from the main sectionwhen in an operational field mode and an inner wing section closest tothe main center section when in the operational field mode; a pluralityof ground engaging tilling elements coupled to one of the main centersection and the plurality of foldable wing sections; a plurality ofwheel assemblies, each wheel assembly of the plurality of wheelassemblies including an actuator, the plurality of wheel assembliesincluding a first plurality of wheel assemblies associated with the maincenter section and a second plurality of wheel assemblies associatedwith each of the plurality of wing sections, wherein the actuators ofthe first plurality of wheel assemblies are independent of the actuatorsof the second plurality of wheel assemblies; and a control systemoperably connected to and configured to actuate the actuators to effecta profile minimizing operation of the foldable wing sections when theimplement is being transitioned into a folded transport mode; actuatingthe actuators to effect a profile minimizing operation of a plurality offoldable wing sections of the agricultural implement when theagricultural implement is transitioning to a transport mode by movingeach of the outer wing sections and folding each of the outer wingsections over each of the respective adjacent inner wing sections suchthat the outer wing sections and the inner wing sections arehorizontally parallel to each other and form a folded group; and movingeach folded group on each side of the main section inward over a portionof the main center section such that all of the plurality of wingsections are vertically parallel to each other in the folded transportmode.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofindependently actuating the actuators to control a depth of tillingelements in each of the plurality of foldable sections of theagricultural implement when the agricultural implement is in a fieldmode.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the controller independentlyactuates the actuators.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising thestep of precluding an operator via the controller from manuallyextending the wheel assembly associated with a wing section during thefolding of the respective wing section into the transport mode.